Process for the conversion of heavy products of petroleum.



P. ROTH & M. E. VENTURINO.

PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HEAVY PRODUCTS 0F PETROLEUM.

APPLlCATlON FILED 06116. 1916.

Lgggfifig Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

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PEDRO ROTH AND MAXIMO EDUARDO VENTURIN'O, OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA;

PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HEAVY PRODUCTS OF PETROLEUM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, ioie.

Application filed October 16, 1916. Serial No. 126,057.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that ,we, PEDRO ROTH and MAXIMOEDUARDO VENTURINO, citizens of the Argentine Republic, residing at No. 7Moreno street, Buenos Aires, Argentina, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Processes for the Conversion of Heavy Products ofPetroleum, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the conversion'or transformation of theheavy products of petroleum into lighter products, or

products of less densityfand has for object a process by means of whichthe heavy products of petroleum, such as the hydrocarbons which formkerosene, gas oil, lubricating oils and parafiin, are converted intoother lighter products, such as gases and petroleum ether, gasolene,naphtha and benzin.

For brevity in, the description and in order to facilitate the generalunderstanding of this specification, the general term heavy products ofpetroleum should be interpreted as comprising kerosene and all heavierhydrocarbons, while under the denomination lighter products ofpetroleum, are comprised benzin, troleum ether and gases.

By means of the process which forms the subject of this invention, itwill therefore be possible to convert or transform all kinds of crudepetroleum, mixtures of by-products of petroleum with crude petroleum,gas oil,

etc, 1nto petroleum ether or gases, gasolenes, naphtha, benzin,.residues and coke, and it will also be possible to completely eliminate,if so desired, the kerosenes and oils which as a result of the knownprocesses, represent the larger ercentage of the products ob tained by te distillation of natural petroleum.

The process which forms the subject matter of the present invention,consists in cansing said heavy hydrocarbons to fall either in a liquidstate or pulverized, upon a mass of residues of petroleum, asphalt-oroils, heated to a temperature higher than the boiling point of thehydrocarbons to be converted and thereupon to condense the. va porsgenerated at the contact of said atomized hydrocarbons with said heatedmass.

Instead of employing crude residues of petroleum or asphalt to producecracking, crude petroleum may be used and is first partially distilledand heated to a temperature high enough to cause a cracking on the v anyother suitable v venient naphtha, gasolene, pe-

" asphalts slightly less than half incoming crude petroleum which issprayed into the vapor space of the still or boiler and comes in contactwith the heated mass.

In the drawing which accompanies this specification, a diagram of anapparatus for carrying the invention into practice, is shown, althoughit will be understood that apparatus might be used for the purpose.

A boiler 1, mounted on a body of masonry, is heated in any suitablemanner by means of a fire box 2 arranged below the same. For the heatingof said fire box, oil or gas burners may be arranged, or systems usingsolid fuel, or any other heat-generating means may be employed. Near thetop, the boiler is provided with one or more discharge goosenecks orexits 7 for the escape of the vapors of distillation generated insidethe boiler. In order that the bottom of the boiler may be cleaned whenso desired, one or more openings 8, provided with closing appliances,are arranged, though same are not shown in the drawings. 7 Through aninlet pipe, also not represented in the drawings and which may beinserted at any conpoint, the residues of petroleum, or oil are fed intothe boiler or still 1, and heated to a temperature above the boilingpoint of the heavy products of petroleum which are to. be converted ortransformed. The boiler is preferably filled to its capacity. The middleor heavy by-products of petroleum such as oils, paraflins, lubricatingoils, gas oil or kerosene, are introduced into the boiler by means of atube 4:, communicating with any suitable reservoir, not shown, fromwhich the petroleum passes by said tube to a compressor or pump 5, ofany suitable type, in order to be finally discharged into saidboiler byan atomizer 6' which may also be of any desired construction.

The goosenecks or exits 7 communicate with a condensing coil, notrepresented in the drawing, by means of which we condense the vaporsgenerated in the interior of the boiler on the contact of the heavybyproducts of petroleum, in atomized condition, with the heated mass 3.The level of the mass in the boiler should remain more or less unchangedowing to the fact that the temperatures employed is generally lower thanthe boiling point of the said mass 3.

The different experiments heretofore carried out, have-shown that aslight lowering of the temperature of the mass 3 during the convertingoperation increases the percent age of kerosene in the convertedproduct, which fact is of some importance When a more or lessconsiderable propprtion of said hydrocarbon is to be obtained. From Whathas been stated it Will be evident that the division between the heavyproducts of petroleum and the lighter products of the same, accordingtomeaning given to said;

denominationsin conformity with this invent1on,-1s not an absolute(l1VlS101'1, but a relative andvariable'one; thus, for instance,

; asmaller or larger proportion of this hykerosene may be regarded asbeing a light productwhen in the converted final product drocarbon'isdes1red'.'

We declare that what we claim as new and desire to-secure by LettersPatent, is

q The process for converting the heavy 'ormiddle distillates ofpetroleum into lighter products of the same, consisting in heating amassof residues of petroleum, asphalt,

" or oils, to a temperature above the boiling point of the hydrocarbons, which it is deslred to crack, and then introducing undilutedpetroleum distillates into the still in the form of'a spray upon themass of residues of petroleum, asphalt, or oils, through the vapor spaceof the still, and through an unobstructed passage to said liquid mass,

whereby a portion of such sprayed petroleum is vaporized before comingin contact With the liquid mass in the still and the 1 greaterproportion of the volatilizing and upon the mass of crude petroleum, and

through an unobstructed passage to said liquid mass, whereby a portionof such sprayed petroleum isvaporized before coming' in contact. Withthe liquid mass in the still, and the greater proportion of thevolatilizing and cracking of the sprayed petroleum occurs oncontactingWith the liquid mass.

In testimony whereof We alfix our signatures. v

.rnnao ROTH. mxnro EDUARDO VENTURINO.

